Extracurricular activities on the curriculum vitae

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What are the extracurricular activities to include in a curriculum? Which ones can make the difference and which ones should be avoided in order to avoid them becoming a disadvantage in the selection phase? If you are looking for guidance on how to include your extra-curricular activities on your curriculum vitae, in this guide we give you some useful ones.

Difference between extracurricular activities and hobbies

All those activities and experiences carried out outside working hours that contribute to forming a person are defined as extracurricular. Unlike hobbies, these are more practical and formative experiences, which are in most cases carried out in a group or in any case involve participation in activities for the good of the community. Often hobbies and extra-curricular activities can coincide, for example if you are part of a sports team, but they may also not coincide, for example in the case of volunteering at the canteen of the needy, certainly not a hobby in the true sense of the word but an extra activity to devote time to.

Extracurricular activities on the CV: mandatory or optional?

Nothing is mandatory when it comes to writing a CV, but there is information that must be entered without ifs and buts: data personal information, telephone number, email, information on one’s career are among them. Recreational activities are not among the things that by convention must be included on a CV, and their insertion must only take place if they are functional elements to the position for which you are applying. So, when considering whether to include this information on your CV, pay attention to the steps mentioned below to avoid unpleasant problems.

Why include non-professional activities on a CV?

Mentioning your extracurricular activities on the CV can be an advantage from all points of view. In fact, making explicit this type of activity can be useful for:

  • demonstrating that you are able to carry out projects, even complex ones;
  • demonstrate your commitment to social and charity;
  • show a more personal side of yourself by opening up a little more with potential recruiters;
  • give a positive image by revealing yourself a little more personality
  • demonstrate that you are able to combine professional and personal activities and carry them out both successfully.

If played well, the after-hours activity card can be an extra element in the selection phase.

Extra-curricular activities can contribute to generate a better opinion on a candidate.

The disadvantages of placing extra-professional activities on a CV

While it is true that this type of activity can be advantageous if inserted in a CV, it is also true that the opposite can also happen. Revealing too much could reveal much more about one’s professionalism and considering that an employer should only have access to professional data on a candidate, it could simply be “too much”.

It doesn’t mean that a potential employer shares the same issues as the candidate for which expressing one’s commitment in one sector rather than another could cause damage. In short, those that could be a surplus to be appreciated do not necessarily become burdens to carry around.

What activities to include in your CV?

If you decide to include your extra-professional activities on the CV, remember to mention only a few of these, and specifically those you have been following for a long time and that in some way they can also bring you advantages on a professional level. For example:

  • Commitment to a high-level sports team: this shows your interest in always facing new challenges;
  • Commitment as a volunteer at a voluntary association: this shows how kind and sensitive you are towards others.

Never enter activities that may be perceived as socially unacceptable or that could harm you when assessed, for example hosting the poker club in your home every week.

When you are inserting your extra activities on the CV, always ask yourself if and how much they can benefit you (in any way, even indirectly) during the selection phase and choose only and only those that are relevant to the job position or that you put in a good light.

Never lie about your CV

Remember that lying when writing a CV is completely incorrect in the first place but above all it can be extremely harmful. Lying about your extracurricular activities is as incorrect as lying about skills and experiences: an employer may decide to inquire, and you would look bad, or they could ask you for more information during the interview and even here your figure would be bad. If you do not have extra professional activities to include in your CV it is absolutely not serious: it is better to focus on the experiences you really have rather than inventing them from scratch.

Bringing the Speech About Extra Activities Out of an Interview

If the activities you are engaged in you feel might be important to the job you are applying for, make sure the discourse in a direction such as to have to mention them. Once mentioned, you can decide if and how much to deepen or if you let the recruiter ask you questions. Be careful to provide only the necessary details and nothing more, to avoid entering a territory that may be difficult to manage.

In summary

  • Extra-curricular activities should not be included on the CV, but if they bring benefits to those you are applying for, they should be added;
  • Add only long-term activities that demonstrate a link with the job you are applying for;
  • Never add activities that could discredit you;
  • Never lie about your CV, even if it is activities outside working hours, because today getting caught is really easy.